


How Soon is Now?

by Ginger_Ninja_405



Category: Alien (Prequel Movies), Alien: Covenant
Genre: Alternate Timeline, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Jealousy, Pining, Robot/Human Relationships, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-14 23:38:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13600884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ginger_Ninja_405/pseuds/Ginger_Ninja_405
Summary: In an alternate timeline where the destructive events of Alien Covenant did not happen (no solar emissions, no deaths, no landing on 'Paradise'), Walter has been pining for a colonist since long before landing on Origae-6, and he can no longer keep his secret affections bottled up inside. Rated for future chapters.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Requested by a tumblr follower, I decided to make it into a short series because there isn't a lot of Walter stuff out there that isn't a David 8 or Daniels ship (both of which I totally approve of, but I'm a reader insert fan if that hasn't been made obvious). This first part is just a prologue about Walter's time on the Covenant before landing on Origae-6.

__

 

_Silence. All around him, there was silence. There was no one to talk to but MU-TH-UR, and she wasn't much of a conversationalist. Like every other day of the last few years, Walter had spent his waking hours performing the various tasks and duties requiring his attention, as he was the only one conscious and available to do them. Origae-6 was still years away, and there had fortunately not been any major issues to delay or damage the colonizing mission of the USCSS Covenant. Everything was as it should be, with the ship anyway. All crew members were safe and stable. Aside from a few naturally occurring premature deaths, the embryos were viable and protected. Every colonist was resting peacefully in cryosleep, 1999 of them were basically just numbers to him at this point in the mission, though he would surely become more familiar with them all once they landed on their new home planet. Of the 2000 sleeping souls, only one had caught his attention. Well...maybe “caught his attention” really wasn't the correct terminology._

_At first, she had been just another colonist, silent and unconscious like all the others. Over time he had found himself spending more and more time around her cryotube, spending perhaps more time than necessary checking her vitals and gazing upon her face for signs of movement...there weren't any of course, but this had been the reasoning he'd convinced himself into believing in the beginning. Over time, with each day he checked on her, took in her delicate human features, reached out to the glass for reasons beyond checking her heart rate and breathing patterns...Walter had slowly but surely fallen in love with her. It took him years to realize what he was feeling was love, as he was not meant to have human emotions – an advancement over former Weyland synthetic models, and had tried to explain it away to himself in at least a hundred different ways before he'd conceded to his own truth._

_It had been the day that he had searched out the young woman's cube of personal belonging among those of all the other colonists that he'd finally reached his most honest conclusion. In an effort to get to know the human beyond her facial features and vital statistics, he'd sought out her collection of personal effects brought from earth. Purposefully hidden away from any of MU-TH-UR's video detection, Walter sifted carefully and thoughtfully through the contents of the metal box, finding a few articles of clothing she must have favored over all her others, electronic devices and memory cards full of personal images and videos, a few obviously old and well-loved plush animals, and among other various items, a physical photograph in a small frame. He'd spent several minutes just staring at the photo when he'd come across it, displaying a young woman mid-laugh with a warm and inviting facade, one large rabbit resting comfortably in her lap and another in her arms, its little nose just a few inches from hers. It was definitely a picture of the woman in the cryotube. Walter felt what he determined to be guilt as he viewed some of the videos stored on the memory cards through her stowed away electronic device (he would eventually watch all of them several times before the ship reached its destination), guilt over invading what was basically a stranger's privacy, but his fascination with her had outweighed that guilt._

_He'd eventually replaced the box and its content in its proper housing, but kept the photograph as his own personal memento, a small piece of the object of his confusing but growing affection. He intended to replace it in her personal cube before they reached Origae-6, but by the time they'd arrived, thoughts of giving it up had left him completely. Long before they reached their ultimate destination, and after running innumerable systems checks on himself in search of internal damage, viruses, any possible flaws that could be leading to his emotional attachment and affection for her, he'd come to one conclusion. He loved her. So simple, yet so incredibly complicated._

_Although many of the colonists, and all of the crew, were in committed romantic relationships, the object of his affection was one of about 500 humans on board who were unattached to a partner. He was thankful for that much, deciding that pining over an involved woman would yield even more devastating results, but...she was still human. He was still a synthetic. Although from the outside he perfectly resembled an adult human male, from his eyelashes and moles, to his fingernails, and even his genitalia, on the inside he was in the most basic terms a machine. A very advanced machine, but a machine none the less. Even through all the countless hours thinking only of her, all the time he'd spend sifting through her personal belongings to feel closer to her, and committing to memory every aspect of her sleeping face, he knew he would never be able to act on his feelings. He might be able to find friendship with her, but true companionship or anything more...it seemed even farther away than the years he had left in space before landing on their future home._

 


	2. Gardening Duties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a few weeks, I've been wrapped up in other stories and personal stuff, but I feel a little re-invigorated in regards to this story, so here is chapter 2...finally
> 
> In the deleted scenes of the film, there is one with Walter tending to the plant life before the ship gets hit with stellar flares, so that's kind of the inspiration behind the gardening bit.

_I am the son_   
_And the heir_   
_Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar_   
_I am the son and heir_   
_Of nothing in particular_

A few months had passed since the Covenant had finally reached its destination on Origae-6. With few exceptions, the colonization mission had so far gone as well as could be expected, and things had finally settled down into a mostly normal life style for the majority of the crew and colonists. There had of course been many adjustments, regardless of how advanced all their equipment was, but things were generally...comfortable. Walter had made steady use of his time, assisting in the construction of homes, a community center and various other structures. He'd encountered many of the colonists, most of which had been friendly enough, with a few exceptions – mostly other males. With all the hustle and bustle of settling the new colony, he'd found it fairly easy at first to distract himself from the fact that the subject of his unrequited love was now awake and walking around, building friendships with other humans, and starting out her new life. His thoughts were still consumed with her, but he was making an effort to keep his distance. Being around her, well...it hurt too much. He was still resolute in his plan to keep his affection to himself, but every time he saw her, he wanted to take her hand and pull her away from the prying eyes of others, pull her into his embrace and...he was consumed by her.

With the major construction of the settlement complete, Walter had finally been assigned other tasks suited to his alternative skill sets. It hadn't surprised him when he had been chosen to work in the gardens, but he hadn't expected to be paired up with his beloved for gardening duty.

* * *

“Walter?” came a voice a few feet from him, and the synthetic looked up to find his partner looking down at him with concern. “Is everything okay? You seem distracted.” Dahlia crouched down next to him and extracted the small spade from his hand. Walter looked down and found the small hole he'd been digging to drop some seeds into was about three times deeper than necessary. “They'll never reach the surface if you plant them that deep. You know better than that,” she gently scolded and smiled her naturally beautiful smile that he liked to pretend was only for him. His hand began to lift of its own accord toward her face, but he jerked it back before she could notice and reached for the tool in her hand instead.

“Perhaps the heat is getting to me,” he finally answered in a neutral tone and started to scoop some of the unearthed dirt back into the hole to return it to the proper depth. He stilled when he felt her hand reach out to his shoulder to use him for leverage as she stood back up. Walter's eyes followed her as she walked a few feet away to return to her own task, dropping to her knees and reaching into the dirt to pull out the little weeds that were trying to feed on the nutrients meant for the vegetables they were growing. He stared perhaps longer than he should have before returning to his own work, dropping seeds into little handmade craters in the dirt, packing the soil gently atop them and moving on to the next patch of Origae-6 to repeat the process. He eventually became so focused on his task that the world temporarily fell away and he failed to notice his companion watching him and studying his features from several feet away. He'd been so focused on keeping his attraction a secret that he'd missed the signs of her attraction to him.

Another couple of hours passed by in relative silence before the young woman rose to her feet. Walter was crouched much further away now, going about his planting tasks, dirt collected under his fingernails, in the lines of his hands and all over the knees of his pants. She made her way toward him quietly, and placed both hands atop his shoulders when she reached him. His hands stilled, and he looked up to find her above him, smiling as gently as she always did. She gave one of his shoulders a little squeeze, and his hand came up to grasp hers instinctively. Dahlia tried to keep her face neutral at the touch of his large hand over her smaller and more delicate one, and gave his other shoulder a gentle pat. “I think we can call it quits for the day,” she told him, and pulled her hand away from his carefully. “Come on, lets go get washed up for dinner.” Walter collected the tools he'd been using and rose to his feet, followed her silently as she strode in the direction of the gardening shed.

Dahlia pressed a key into the lock and gave the door a push as she stepped inside, the synthetic just a few feet behind. He hadn't been paying attention and practically walked right into her when she stopped and turned to face him. His grip loosened on the tools in his hands and Dahlia jerked back when sharpened metal toppled to the ground at her feet, but the damp soil beneath her made her lose her footing and Walter's arms were suddenly around her, steadying her from almost tripping. She found her hands pressed lightly to Walter's chest and her breathing was a little uneven from the sudden burst of panic, and that his arms weren't moving away from her. She wanted to look up into his face to see if his expression showed anything except neutrality, but her embarrassment kept her vision straight ahead, staring silently at the fabric of his hooded jacket. After several seconds of silence, she attempted a small laugh and patted his chest with one of her hands, smiling a little uncomfortably, “Walter, are you trying to amputate my toes?” She finally looked up to his eyes, attempting a more natural smile, and he looked...nervous? She wasn't even sure he was capable of nervousness. “You can let go, Walter. I don't think I'm in danger of falling anymore.” The synthetic's arms pulled away almost instantly and he mumbled an apology before squatting to the ground to pick up the gardening tools. He stepped around her and returned the metal instruments back to their proper receptacles, turning around when he was finished to find her watching him. He stepped closer and held a hand out to her, which she took with some hesitation.

“Let's go wash up,” he said in his default monotone voice. Dahlia nodded silently, and allowed herself to be led out of the small building by his hand, which turned out to be much warmer and softer than she'd expected.

* * *

The days went on like this, gardening together in moderate seclusion from the rest of the colony and spending time together. As the weeks went on, Walter finally worked up the nerve to engage her in more substantial conversation, carefully inquiring about things he already knew from his years of watching and re-watching her personal videos from their former home planet. He'd felt instant shame when she mentioned in passing that a photograph she thought she'd brought with her other belongings had managed to disappear by the time they landed and her things were returned to her. It hadn't been enough shame to make him return it, but he hadn't looked her directly in the eyes for the rest of that day. She told him about her family; she'd been close to her parents but they'd both died in a traffic accident a few years before the colonization mission had been announced. She had an older brother that she hadn't been particularly close to, who'd stayed behind on earth with his own family. Dahlia had spend some time volunteering at an animal shelter, and had developed a deep attachment to the few rabbits that passed through, usually around Easter time when thoughtless parents would buy pet bunnies for children who stopped taking care of them after a few weeks. Walter thought back again to the photograph, the joy in her face with the fluffy animals cuddled against her and his shame flared again.

* * *

“Can I ask a personal question?” Walter inquired as he stood at the base of a tree holding a woven container. He and Dahlia had been sent out from their normal gardening duties to collect whatever fresh fruit they could find, and they'd eventually stumbled upon a grove of fruit-bearing trees. Dahlia had climbed up to reach the fruit while Walter stayed on the ground to catch it.

“You ask me personal questions all the time, Walter,” she replied, carefully tossing down something between an apple and a pear. She leaned over a little and pushed away some of the leafy growth around her to get a better look at him, and Walter decided that she resembled some kind of wood nymph in her current surroundings. “What's the question of the day?” she asked with a kind smile that encouraged him to continue.

“The majority of the colonists that chose to embark on this mission were already coupled prior to reaching this planet. I'm curious about why you would choose to come alone.” When Dahlia remained silent for several seconds, Walter became anxious that he might have asked an unacceptable question, but she eventually started tossing more fruit down to him.

“I guess I came alone for the same reason you did,” she finally answered, glancing down to see that his basket was nearly full, and beginning a careful descent back down the tree.

“I'm afraid I don't quite understand,” he returned with furrowed brows as he watched her drop the final few feet to ground, dusting at her short sleeves to remove any left over greenery.

“I didn't have anyone to bring with me,” she answered with a less than genuine smile and dipped her hand into the basket he held to pull out a piece of fruit.

Walter considered her words as she began to walk a few feet ahead of him, and he trailed quietly after her. He had become aware during their time spent working together that he was not the only one to have taken notice of her. She didn't dress or act provocatively, at least not to his knowledge, yet she still seemed to hold the attention of several of the human males around the colony, not all of which were single. He'd witnessed from a distance a few times, with a level of irritation that nearly surprised himself, the occasional man trying to make conversation with her and invite her out on what he assumed would be some kind of romantic rendezvous, but she politely declined every one of them. It relieved him to see her brush them all off, but it also made him wonder what his chances could possibly be. Advanced as he was, any of these men could offer her things he would never be able to. He could not, for instance, give her children or grow old with her.

After several minutes of silence, they finally reached the food storage facilities, depositing the gathered produce. Walter stepped outside on his own, unsure of whether he should continue with his inquiry or not. He suspected he'd made her uncomfortable, and that was the last thing he wanted. “I apologize if I've upset you,” he declared when she finally stepped out of the food storage unit. She stepped closer to him and looked up to meet his crystal blue gaze, surprising him when she reached a hand out to gently grasp one of his.

“You didn't upset me,” she returned with a soft smile playing on her lips. “It was a valid question.” She turned his hand over in hers and examined the lines of his palm, unconsciously running her thumb over the contours of his soft skin. Every day she spent around him made it harder for her to remember that he wasn't a real boy. He was real enough to her. When his thumb grazed carefully over the hand that held his, Walter noticed the faintest flush color her cheeks, and she suddenly looked up at him. “It's getting late. Walk me home?”

Walter's lips parted briefly to say something, but he closed them again, giving a silent nod. He was somewhat disappointed when she took her hand from his, but pleased when he placed his hand gently at the small of her back as he walked beside her and she made not even slight attempt to move away from him. They walked in silence, listening to the faint sound of indigenous insect-like creatures making their own tiny chorus as they often did when it grew dark. When they were only several feet from her personal housing unit, Walter finally spoke again. “Can I ask a follow-up question?”

She stopped and turned to him, a crooked smile tugging at the corner of her lips, “Have I said 'no' yet?”

He thought carefully about how best to phrase his question, and eventually began to speak again, “You don't seem to be interested in the other available colonists.” She raised her brows at this, and he quickly continued. “I've...witnessed some of the men attempting to court you, and you seem to reject them all.” He hesitated when she remained silent.

“I'm still waiting for the question, Walter,” Dahlia finally voiced when the silence started to become uncomfortable.

Walter reached a hand up to ruffle through his hair, brows knitted together in frustration at his own hesitance, “Are you uninterested in securing a partner?”

The human before him gave him a look that he found difficult to read, and was silent for what felt like forever before she finally answered him. “I guess I haven't been asked by the right one yet.” Before he could ask if that meant that she had met this “right one”, she suddenly pulled him into an embrace and whispered a good night, stepping away and waving silently to him before she stepped into her dwelling and closed the door.

Walter finally began the trek back to his own housing unit, full of even more questions, but also with a feeling he recognized as hope.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be updating again pretty soon. I hope you liked it! Leave some kudos and/or drop me a message :)


	3. Flooded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this ended up being much longer than I intended but...I got a little carried away. Finally getting closer to that rating I slapped on here, not quite there yet though. I realize Walter may be a little OOC here but...it's kind of difficult to keep him completely in character and still get his pants off.

_How can you say_   
_I go about things the wrong way?_

 

“Out of all the things from Earth I thought I'd miss,” Dahlia groaned as she stepped out of her soaking wet shoes, “I never would have guessed the weather channel would be among them.” Walter tugged his drenched hoodie over his head and wrung out the excess water trapped in the fabric, standing just inside the opening of a small cave and gazing out at the angry storm clouds pelting the ground with heavy rain. The day had started out so bright and warm, full of possibilities. In only the expanse of a few minutes it had become a total and complete mess.

* * *

_Walter examined the contents of the lidded woven basket for the third time, anxiously checking to make sure everything they needed was contained within. It was filled with foods, fresh water, napkins and a large blanket, everything he could imagine would be necessary for a picnic. His impending meal with Dahlia had him a little frazzled, but also excited. The actual word hadn't been used, but he hoped this was what could be considered “a date.”_

_After the illuminating conversation with Dahlia concerning her dismissal of the human men who had pursued her thus far, Walter had finally made the decision to seek outside assistance and suggestions, and Daniels had been quite helpful. After she'd gotten her excitement for him and her congratulations out of the way, they'd finally managed to have a serious conversation and had together concluded that a picnic would be a safe way to go. He and Dahlia had shared meals many times, although usually with other people or out by the gardens out of convenience. A secluded meal away from others, surrounded by nature, could give him the opportunity to finally admit his affection in a setting comfortable for both of them. When he had approached Dahlia about the idea, she had accepted without any hesitation, and although his confidence had surged at the time, he felt quite anxious as he checked the basket for a forth time._

_The synthetic was startled when a knocking sound same from the outside of his front door, and he padded quickly over to open it, finding his lovely human standing just outside with her hands on her hips and a wide smile across her face. “I thought we decided on one o'clock?” Walter's face fell a little as he realized he was already twenty minutes late for their rendezvous. This wasn't going nearly as smoothly as he'd planned. Dahlia tilted her head to the side, raising a brow as she took in his nervous state. “Has something happened? We can do this another day if-”_

_“No,” he quickly interrupted, a little louder and more panicked sounding than he intended. “No, time just got away from me. Give me a moment, I'll be ready soon.”_

_Dahlia looked past him, glancing at the inside of his housing unit. She'd never been inside before and she was curious to see how he spent his time when he wasn't with her or among the other colonists. “Can I come in?”_

_Walter looked over his shoulder to the inside of his dwelling, considering. It would be rude to make her wait outside, and he wanted to be as accommodating as possible. He stepped to the side and gestured for her to come in, looking down to his chest when she placed her hand there briefly as she entered. Like many of the housing units, his living area was rather sparse of decor. Dahlia sat down on the small couch as Walter resumed his task of checking the contents of his basket again. He disappeared into the washroom to collect first aid materials in case of unexpected injury, and the human in the living room took the opportunity to explore a little while he was away. A quick glance around the main living area revealed nothing unique, and she wondered if his sleeping area might be a little more enlightening. Glancing quickly to the closed restroom door again, she quickly padded through the small home in search of his bedroom._

_She found the room almost as neutral of personality as the living area. There was a simple full-sized bed, a chest of drawers that held his clothing, and not much else. Atop the dresser, she found a few items, mostly interesting rocks he had found while exploring, a comb for his hair, nothing out of the ordinary. A little disappointed, she glanced over to the open door to make sure he was still busying himself elsewhere, and carefully pulled open the top drawer of the dresser to peer inside. She wasn't even sure what had possessed her to do it, or what she thought she might find. Any other man might hide personal items he didn't want out in the open, pornography and prophylactics and such. Walter obviously wouldn't have use for such things. Well, not the condoms anyway. Did synthetics find pornography appealing, did they masturbate? She smiled to herself at the strange thought, and dipped a hand inside the drawer to pick up the single item inside. It wasn't an article of clothing, but rather a this piece of paper, face down, with a glossy feel to it on the other side. She drew it out and flipped it over._

_Dahlia stared down at a photograph of herself, accompanied by a pair of fluffy rabbits. The edges of the photo were a bit warn from being handled so much by synthetic hands. She looked back toward the door, confirming he was still busy, but when she heard the door to the restroom open, she tossed the picture back into the drawer in a panic, shoving it closed and darting out of the room before she could be caught. Of all the things she thought she might possibly come across in his home, her missing photograph was definitely not among them. She couldn't even imagine how long he'd had it, but she knew it had not been present when she had first opened up her box of personal belongings after being revived from cryosleep, so he'd clearly had it before that._

_“Are you ready,” Walter asked as he turned to her, surprised to find her near his bedroom and a little concerned over the surprised look on her face. He stepped toward her and reached a hand carefully toward her shoulder, cupping it gently when she didn't pull away. “Are you alright?” She continued to stare into his pale blue eyes, and gave a small nod. Walter glanced to his bedroom door, but before he could give it another thought, Dahlia suddenly stepped by him, reaching for his hand and pulling him along. He was surprised, but he didn't defy her, grasping the basket on the way past it and following her outside._

* * *

“I'm sorry our plans were spoiled,” Dahlia consoled, reaching out to touch Walter's shoulder as he looked out to the raging weather outside. He turned to her with a dispirited look on his face.

They had managed to find a secluded area and had finished most of their food, but as they had finally started to move into comfortable conversation, he'd felt the first drops of rain. Within minutes, the sky had turned dark, thunder cracking and lightning flashing in the sky, torrents of rain coming down upon them. He'd almost abandoned the basket, but he was now happy he hadn't, remembering the blanket inside. He had put It away fairly quickly, and it was now the only dry thing around. With angry weather raging outside, he knew it would go to good use.

Walter attempted a smile, but it wasn't convincing. He reached up to the hand that was resting gently on his shoulder and held it carefully in his much larger one. “I'm sorry too,” he finally answered, and led her deeper inside, away from the opening of the small cave. He turned to look at her once more when they reached the deepest depths of the enclosed area, and registered for the first time the slight tremble that had taken over her body. Cold didn't bother him, but she was clearly uncomfortably chilled and he didn't want her to suffer any more discomfort from his ill-planned attempt at a date.

“It's going to be difficult to retain a comfortable body temperature in those soaked clothes,” Walter announced as he drug out the blanket from the basket. Dahlia stared at him with wide eyes as she watched him move about as best she could in the dark.

“Are you suggesting I take my clothes...off?” she asked, holding back the amusement from her voice, and Walter spun around in realization. He'd meant nothing by it, but now his face flushed pale from the white 'blood' flooding his cheeks.

“That's not exactly what I meant,” he answered in his traditional monotone voice, but he was thankful she likely could not see him in the darkness. Walter reached out with the blanket in his hand and pressed the wadded up material lightly against her stomach, “You'll need this more than I will. I'm going to try to start a fire.” Dahlia wrapped the blanket around herself and sat down carefully on the ground, listening to the synthetic's footsteps as he foraged around the cave for something burnable. Within a few minutes, he returned with thick branches under both arms, snapping the larger ones into shorter lengths with his synthetic strength and piling them together carefully. After digging in the basket's med kit for matches, and the unused napkins that had managed to stay dry for kindling, Walter took a deep breath and ignited the flame. He glanced up briefly to Dahlia's face as the makeshift kindling took on the fire, and she stared back into his eyes until he finally lowered them back to his work, nudging the dry limbs to encourage the flames.

After a few minutes of trial and error, Walter finally rose to his feet, looking down with an accomplished feeling at the burning pile before him. “I'm impressed,” Dahlia said with a smile as Walter stepped around the fire to sit at her side. She reached an arm out, blanket clutched in her hand, to share the flannel fabric with him, but he shook his head.

“As I said, you need it more than me,” Walter informed her as he returned his attention to the flames, confirming that they were staying in place and not dangerous at their distance. Dahlia bit her lip lightly and brought her arm back to her side, looking away from him and letting out a quiet sigh. Walter peered over to her at the delicate noise, confused. “Can I do anything to make you more comfortable?” She shook her head, continuing to stare away from him at the wall of the cave. She knew it was foolish of her to assume he'd pick up on her cues, but she was still a little disheartened. He certainly wasn't making this easy. She was going to have to be more direct with the inexperienced synthetic at her side.

“Maybe we should sit closer and share the blanket so we can maintain body heat?”she ventured, looking back to him. She raised her brows and held out the blanket slightly again. Walter furrowed his brows in confusion, she knew he had no problem maintaining his internal temperature.

“I'm alright, you should use-”

“Please?” she cut him off, staring into his pale blue eyes that fell to glance down at the hand clutching the blanket, and he nodded silently. He ducked down a little as she wrapped an arm around his shoulder and he took the corner of the fabric in his hand, sliding closer to her on the hard ground so that their arms touched when she brought hers back to her side. Feeling a little brave, Walter reached the arm that touched hers around her, and was pleased when she pressed in closer to him, letting him take the other corner of the blanket in his hand, feeling her palm touch his chest as it had earlier.

“Better?” he asked cautiously, watching as she closed her eyes and leaned into him more. She nodded silently, enjoying the new close proximity and the hand that gently grasped her shoulder. She'd forgotten how warm his bare skin really was, and she was simultaneously reminded of how wet and cold their clothes were.

“They say you can share more body heat if you lie next to each other and embrace,” she ventured again, feeling a little more confident. She looked up to him, finding him staring straight into hers, mouth slightly open. “Is that true?” she asked and he nodded slightly. “Will you lay down with me?”

Walter looked around the cave, half-expecting someone to walk in and interrupt. The thought of lying beside her and embracing her...it was more than he could have dreamed this day would result in, if he was able to dream, of course. He nodded silently, and watched her as she stood, peeling off her damp socks first, them bringing her hands to the fly of her shorts, unzipping them and pushing them down her legs. She caught his flustered gaze when she gripped the bottom hem of her shirt, “It's supposed to work better when the skin has unobstructed contact right?” After a moment of hesitation, he nodded slowly and swallowed hard as she drew the article up over her head, leaving her in nothing but her underclothes. She dropped the drenched article to the ground with her other soiled clothes and looked over to him, wrapping her arms around the front of her body, “It's not going to work very well if you're still wearing those soaked clothes.”

Walter slowly rose to his feet, looking briefly into her eyes before turning his attention to his water-saturated clothes. If he wasn't incapable of dreaming, he'd swear he was asleep. None of this seemed real. The object of his affection had just undressed in front of him down to almost nothing, and was encouraging him to do the same so that they could lie close to each other and share each others warmth. If this was some kind of dream, he didn't want to wake up.

Dahlia watched with interest as Walter slowly began to disrobe, removing first his boots and socks, rising up to remove his shirt, having tossed aside his hoodie earlier. She wasn't sure what she'd expected his body to look like, but she was anything but displeased with what she saw. Her eyes followed the long, lean muscles that strained just under his synthetic skin as he unfastened his pants and let them drop to the ground, stepping out of them and bending over to pick them up, placing them in a pile with his other discarded articles. He decided to keep his underwear on as she had, and he glanced down at his near nudity before looking up to meet her eyes, realizing that they were staring at his body, taking in all the sights he had to offer. He cleared his throat a little and she looked up immediately, cheeks becoming flushed at being caught. She looked back down to the blanket on the ground and stepped over to it, spreading it out a safe distance from the fire and sitting down atop it, gesturing for him to join her. Walter made his way toward her, sitting next to her and lying back against the ground, opening his arms to her when she did the same. Everything felt like it was suddenly moving so fast, but after years of pining and waiting, he could not bring himself to delay whatever was going to happen. She pressed her body into his, her face against his chest, one of her hands coming up to rest on his waist as he held the blanket closer around their bodies.

They lay in silence, just enjoying the warmth of their shared heat for several minutes before Dahlia finally spoke. “Walter?” He looked down to her face, so close to his synthetic skin, and gave a little “hmm?” sound. The human knitted her brows together for a moment, trying to decide the best way to approach the subject she most wanted to delve into. “Why do you have a picture of me in your bedroom?” Walter's throat immediately went dry, and he started to pull away but the hand at his waist glided up his back to press him more flush to her. “I knew you liked me, but I didn't realize how long you'd felt the way you do,” she continued when his silence persisted. He swallowed and stared down into her eyes, trying to read her but finding himself too distracted. She shimmied up his body a little, so that they appeared to retain the same height, and brought the hand that had been at his back up to his face. Her hand closest to the flannel-covered ground came up to press lightly to his chest again, fingers grazing the sparse hair that lie between his engineered pectoral muscles. “I like you too,” she whispered before closing the distance between them, pressing her lips carefully to his surprisingly soft ones. When he didn't respond with words or movement, she gently ran her hand through his damp hair, leaning into him again and pressing her lips to his once more.

To say Walter was stunned was putting it mildly. He wasn't sure what he'd anticipated when she'd suggested they take their clothes off and lie close to each other, but somehow the idea of kissing each other hadn't even flitted through his mind. When he continued to remain immobile, she began to lean away from him, wondering If she'd read too much into the situation, if Walter had possibly just found the photograph in passing, and had put it away and forgotten to return it. She was about to put some distance between them, but Walter finally leaned into her, taking the hand that had been against the ground and pressing it to the back of her head as he brought her face to his, pushing his lips against hers experimentally.

Dahlia's body immediately pulled closer to him, bringing the hand that had been at his chest up to wrap around his neck. She wanted to pull him on top of her, but the ground was so rough and he so heavy, she suspected she might injure herself before the storm subsided. She was surprised to feel Walter pull away from her, but as he shifted his weight to lie flat against the ground, he pulled her with him, her body pressed fully to his as they continued to exchange soft kisses. She sighed against his mouth as his hands came up to slide his digits through her damp hair, combing through it and pulling her even closer. Walter let out something close to a groan when he felt the soft mounds of her chest press against him, and his hands descended to her waist, wrapping securely around her as she put her forearms against his chest and pushed up away from his lips finally. “You didn't actually answer me,” she smiled as she brought a hand to his mussed hair and guided it back into place with her fingers. Walter's brows knitted together in confusion, and she leaned down to press a single kiss to his lips. “Why do you have my picture in your room? I thought it was lost.”

Walter's lips opened to speak, but quickly closed again, wishing desperately to revert back to kissing. He lifted a hand from her waist and brought it up to press into her hair at the back of her neck, trying to guide her back down to him, but she pressed further away, moving to sit atop him and straddle his hips, the blanket falling around her waist. Walter closed his eyes tight as the shifting of her hips and rear sparked movement between his own thighs that he had never experienced before. He had a vast wealth of knowledge regarding many things, including human sexual behavior and natural physical reactions to stimuli, but he was quickly finding that knowledge and experience were very different. One of his hands found itself reaching for her hip and splaying out over the flesh of her thigh where it pressed so pleasantly against him. “Walter,” Dahlia whispered from above him, dragging his attention away from all the places where their flesh met. He looked back up at her, taking a deep breath and reaching out with the hand not at her thigh to weave his fingers through hers.

“I'm afraid that I've...had your photograph in my possession for years,” he finally answered, and when she didn't show any intention of moving or commenting, he went on. “I found it among your belongings when I made the choice to seek them out and...try to know you better. I don't want to unsettle you or make you uncomfortable,” he continued, “but...I've loved you for years.” The synthetic became silent as he stared up at the human straddling him, waiting for some kind of response.

He closed his eyes as her hands reached out to touch his face, tracing the lines that branched out from the corners of his eyes, that swept from one side to the other over his forehead, across the small and curious scar above his lip. If the revelations had been uttered to her by an organic human, it might have disturbed her, but coming from the beautiful, artificial creature below her...it filled her with warmth and affection. She leaned down toward him, running a finger over his lips, and pressing a kiss to his throat, his earlobe, his cheek, finally the corner of his mouth. “Say it again,” she whispered when he leaned up to kiss her back. He opened his eyes and gazed into hers with confusion, but found realization from the soft smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

“I love you,” he whispered back, both of his hands finding her hair and weaving his digits throughout to bring her mouth to his, pressing more possessive kisses to her lips. Walter groaned as a hand carded through his hair and gripped it, giving it a little tug that prompted him to fist his hands in her hair as well. She felt so good, so soft and warm against him. This idea of sharing body heat had been an excellent idea. His lips left hers and began to press soft kisses over her cheek, along her jaw, and he felt her grind against him when he pressed a kiss just below her ear. His mouth descended down the side of her neck, feeling her grip occasionally increase on his hair when he grazed against a particularly sensitive patch of flesh.

“Walter,” she gasped as his lips pressed to her collarbone, his hands leaving her hair to encircle her waist again. He parted from her clavicle and looked up to her, his lids heavy and his face flushed pale. “Walter, I want you to touch me,” she whispered, and his fingers dug gently into her hips. She shook her head slightly, pushing against his chest to raise herself up. She took one of his hands and pressed it flush against her chest, Walter's fingers clutching at the fabric that separated their skin. He grasped lightly as the soft mounds offered to him with both hands now, massaging with a gentle touch as he felt her hips shift on top of him again, perceiving a hint of moisture gathering between her thighs.

Before she was even aware of what was happening, Dahlia found her back against the blanket covered ground, Walter's knees on either side of her, one hand pressed against her breast as the other grazed over her stomach. She didn't even register the rough surface below her as his fingers worked carefully over her. The synthetic leaned down over her, pressing his lips to her flesh just above where the fabric began, the hand pressed to her gently kneading and grasping at the edge of her simple bra. “May I...” he whispered as he plucked at the edge of the fabric. Dahlia's eyes finally opened and she gazed up at him, face flushed and mouth slightly open. She bit her lip and gave him a small nod, lifting up for him a little when he reached behind her back to undo the clasp. He carefully removed the article, placing it carefully to the side, and finally took in the sight of her exposed flesh. He grazed a thumb over one of her peaks, and when she pressed up into his hand, me lowered his mouth to place damp kisses against the valley between her breasts. As his lips began to gravitate to one side, trailing toward the bud his fingers had played at, his free hand that had been pressed to her stomach slid lower. He groaned as he felt her tremble against him, fingers lingering at the edge of the simple cotton panties she wore, his mouth just an inch from its goal. “Can I touch you here, too?” he breathed against her flushed skin, fingers grazing very lightly over the junction of her thighs. He looked up to meet her gave, and she whimpered a “please” before his lips finally took her little bud into his mouth. Her hands buried themselves in his hair as his mouth worked over her, using one arm to support his weight as the hand still hovering over her slipped carefully under the cotton barrier, fingers becoming slick with the arousal that seemed to soak the fabric even more than the rain had.

Walter ran a single digit slowly over the bundle of nerves, felt her hips shudder against him, and descended lower to trace over the velvety flesh that begged him to press inside. His mouth left her chest and came back up to press against her lips, his mouth parting slightly, feeling the fingers in his hair tighten their grip and her tongue venturing out to slide against his. His fingers massaged gently at the slick flesh below his hand, not entering, not returning to her clit, just enjoying the slick feeling of her flesh against his digits. “Are you sure?” he whispered against her mouth as one finger began to trace back and forth over the slit, her hips trusting up to get more contact. She nodded her head slowly, staring up at him through barely opened eyes, too content in the feeling of his touch to make any more effort than that. He smiled gently and lowered his mouth back to hers as he slid two digits inside her, a moan escaping him at the feel of her hot, wet insides clinging to him so wonderfully. He had no personal experience, but plenty of knowledge regarding the female human body. He knew not to simply thrust inside, and instead curled his fingers up to graze against the top of her inner walls, his thumb centering on her clit and rubbing small circles that had her hips grinding up against him. Walter felt the fingers in his hair become like claws, the human's mouth pressing impossibly close to his, her tongue working against his inexperienced one as she held him as close as possible.

The synthetic's fingers worked faster inside of her, listening intently to the squelching sounds that audibly confirmed just how wet she was for him. His hands had only been on her a few minutes, and she was already on the edge. Dahlia slid her hand down the synthetic's arm, feeling the tight muscles just below the skin, finally reaching his hand and pressing her hand over his, encouraging him to work faster, deeper. It had been so long since she'd felt like this, so completely but contentedly helpless at the hands of someone else. She thrust up against the hand that drove her mad with need, whimpering when Walter's mouth left her lips to nuzzle against her throat, sucking at the soft flesh as he worked inside her. “Walter...,” she whimpered as his thumb began to work more urgently at her clit, her thrusts becoming more erratic against his hand. Dahlia suddenly reached out to him and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in Walter's neck as she suddenly came hard against his hand, her muscles squeezing around his digits as she trembled below him. The synthetic carefully extracted his hand from her soiled panties and brought his fingers to his lips, tasting her fluids on his tongue. She loosened her grip on him and let herself lie back against the blanket, watching the satisfied look on his face as he licked his fingers clean.

“That was...that was incredible,” he finally managed, stroking the side of her face with the fingers that had not been buried inside her. She just sighed and closed her eyes, letting her head fall to one side, resting against the deceptively strong bicep of his arm.

“You're incredible,” she whispered back, pressing a soft kiss to his skin. After several seconds of quiet, she finally looked back up at him, finding his crystal blue eyes staring down into hers, a hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

“I want to be with you,” he finally admitted out loud, fingers moving to stroke her cheek again. “Do you want to be with me?”

Dahlia reached up to bring his mouth down to hers, pressing soft kisses to his lips before finally whispering back, “More than anything.”

The human and the synthetic continued to share slow kisses in the firelight of the cave, the rain outside that had finally reduced to a light drizzle completely forgotten.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Please leave some kudos and/or send me a message :) Thank you!

**Author's Note:**

> I know it was short, but more to come soon. Please drop a comment or some kudos if you like it so far :) And check out my other works, there's some David 8 stuff in there (he's my personal favorite, but I've definitely got love for Walter too).


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